Heated floors are the pinnacle of your bathroom comfort ambitions. While the project might look like nothing more than luxury, those who have tried it will say it’s much more practical and useful than it seems. But aside from the obvious comfort, what other advantages does this system offer?
Let’s take a deep dive into this incredible technology that will revolutionize your bathroom!
“You must do the things you think you cannot do. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Which floor heating system is better?
![Which floor heating is better? Source: DIY Network](http://static.homeyou.com/assets/base/6e6/16e/79d/heated-floors-pros-cons.jpg)
To get straight to the point, radiant heating and forced heating are the most common methods of floor heating... but radiant heating is considered to be the best choice by far in most situations. So let’s focus on that.
Among other advantages and details we’ll be discussing below, radiant heating offers good energy efficiency, versatility, and comfort.
It’s worth noting though that radiant heating itself has two variations – water-based and electric. The water variant is usually installed in a home’s building phase or full renovation, which makes it unwieldy for most homeowners who want to install a new system. The electric variant then becomes the best choice, as it’s much easier and affordable to install by comparison.
Heat and energy efficiency
The radiant system is efficient both in heating and energy consumption.
First, according to the laws of physics, hot air always rises. Since the heating starts from the floor, it naturally makes it so the heat rises and comfortably warms the entire room. If the heat started from the ceiling, the hot air would stay there and the bottom half of the room would feel oddly cold in comparison, including the floor.
This, in turn, makes your entire heating system more energy efficient, since less energy is required to keep the bathroom warm.
How much does it cost?
![What’s the cost of floor heating? Source: HGTV](http://static.homeyou.com/assets/base/8c5/3d3/0ad/pros-cons-heated-floors.jpg)
A fairly accurate estimate would be from $10 to $20 per square foot – but considering the differences in manufacturers, bathroom size, installation methods and your own electric system, do take the estimate with a grain of salt.
If you want a more precise estimate, you can talk to a floor heating professional in your area and get a free quote.
Setting up the temperature
By connecting your floor heating with your thermostat (or a simple timer), you can set up schedules for the heating to work. This will make sure you don’t waste energy, but always have heating up when you need it most.
Versatility
As it turns out, radiant heating is perfectly suited for small bathrooms and additions. The heating is good enough to keep the room heated (not just the floor that is) and without spending too much energy.
Better yet, installation is not a huge hassle. In most cases it can be done without messing with concrete or having to redo the floors – with some exceptions, of course. But it’s not nearly as troublesome as a water-based system that requires lots of preparation.
And when it comes to pricing, there’s a very nice “trick to making it a bit cheaper on you: a common way of installing floor heating is by accents. What this means is you install the heating mats on specific areas, such as around the toilet and by the sink, not necessarily the entire square footage of the bathroom. This saves you money and doesn’t compromise the floor heating by much.
Durability
![Is floor heating easy to install? Source: Ideal Home](http://static.homeyou.com/assets/base/aba/22f/748/pros-cons-bathroom-heated-floors.jpg)
You can rest assured a well installed and maintained heating system won’t fail you anytime soon – in fact, most systems come with a pretty generous warranty of up to 30 years.
What about disadvantages?
As mentioned before, the cost of installation will vary dramatically depending on whether you want it in a small bathroom or on a larger scale. A small bathroom with well placed accents is doable for most homeowners, but an entire bedroom, an entire living, then the initial investment is much higher.
Also worth noting, if you’re a fan of carpets, radiant heating struggles to go through them. Not a problem if the areas of floor heating contain none, but if so, the carpet insulates the heat and makes it way less noticeable. Basically, you’d have to choose between the floor heating or the cozy carpet, since having both would be pretty unsustainable.
Conclusion
And that wraps it up. The upgrade to radiant floor heating has virtually no downsides and it’s a perfect addition to a small bathroom, since it’s affordable and will add to your home’s comfort by a lot!
Want to try a floor heating project? Talk to floor heating professional today and find the best prices where you live!
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